Jean wasn't the bravest.
Heck, everyone knew that. He was scared of the Titans, he was scared of dying. Anyone would be.
But his fear was his best tool. Because he understood how frightened people could be during these desperate times he was able to comfort them, to lead them. He wasn't the most courageous, no. But he was a leader.
And Marco felt absolutely safe by his side.
Jean was his best friend, after all, and there was no one else that Marco trusted so completely.
And Jean wanted to protect his friend no matter what. Well...if you could even call Marco his "friend."
Now, don't take that in a negative way! Jean cared for Marco with all his being...and then some.
This is exactly what confused him.
Jean found himself gazing at Marco's face when he wasn't looking, holding his hand for just a second longer after he rescued him when his 3D Maneuver Gear malfunctioned, and constantly fighting the urge to stroke his black, smooth hair.
But...it didn't make sense.
Marco was his friend. He didn't think of him in...that way...
Or did he?
Argh, whatever. He just wasn't going to think about it.
Saving the world came first. Figuring out his feelings came later.
"Jean!"
Marco's cry somehow reached Jean's ears over the dull roars of the Titans. Jean looked about frantically, desperately trying to find his friend.
"Over here!"
Jean glanced down to see Marco holding onto the edge of a building, his 3D Maneuver Gear sputtering uselessly.
"Marco!" Jean called, quickly hopping over to the building. "Hang on, I got you!"
He reached down to his best friend, and Marco tightly gripped his hands. The black-haired boy was terrified; his body was shaking and sweat rolled down his face.
"Just calm down," Jean whispered. "I got you, I got you."
With a grunt he dug his feet into the shingles of the roof and pulled, dragging Marco's body up a few inches. Okay, so maybe this wouldn't be as easy as he thought. But he couldn't just give up now.
With another grunt he pulled again, this time managing to lug Marco's upper body onto the roof. The freckled boy desperately latched onto the roof with his fingers and shut his eyes in fear.
"It's okay, you're almost there!" Jean said encouragingly. "Just a little more!"
He was prepared to pull again when a shadow suddenly appeared over him.
No.
Jean felt his heart jump into his throat. No, no, no, oh God no.
He didn't have to look up to know this was a Titan. He could hear it, feel its hot breath on his neck.
"J-Jean...," Marco stammered, holding onto the roof for dear life.
Jean clutched his eyes shut. No, he couldn't be scared now. Not when Marco was in danger.
He prepared himself to pull again, and the Titan roared, nearly shattering his ear drums. The beast then brought down one giant arm into the building, smashing it to pieces and throwing both Jean and Marco through the air.
Without thinking, Jean found himself covering Marco in a protective embrace. Marco gripped onto his friend, his entire body shaking.
Jean wasn't scared now.
He just had to protect Marco.
He had to protect...
When Jean woke up he found himself lying in a cot. The world seemed to shift beneath him, and he had to blink a few times before he could bring it back into focus.
He was one of the medical tents. So, he hadn't died.
But wait.
He instantly sprung up and glanced about the room hurriedly. Where was Marco? Was he hurt, too? Had he...
"Jean!"
Jean flinched at the sudden voice coming from beside him, and turned to face it. Marco was sitting on a stool next to Jean's bed, a worried expression on his face.
"You shouldn't move quickly so soon," Marco explained. "You need to give yourself time to heal."
"What...What happened?" Jean asked.
Marco gulped. "Well...Uh, you saved me, that's what happened." He smiled. "You wrapped your arms around me as we fell, and I only suffered minor injuries," he continued, pointing to a piece of gauze wrapped around his wrist. "Thankfully, you're still alive..." He trailed off and stared down at the ground. "The doctor said you would have died if it weren't for the fact that a sign had broken your fall..."
He sounded like he was going to cry.
"Marco...," Jean whispered.
"I'm sorry," Marco mumbled. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't made that mistake, if I hadn't wasted my gas...You wouldn't be in this position." He gazed at Jean, his eyes red with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, Jean."
"Don't be," Jean replied, doing to best to crack a grin despite the pain coursing throughout his body. "I did it for you, Marco. So...don't be sorry. You should...never be sorry for doing things to make me care about you."
Wait. Did he just really say that?
"O-Oh," Marco replied. A blush was steadily covering his cheeks.
Oh no, now he was blushing?
That made Jean's own cheeks turn red. "U-Uh, yeah...Because you're my best friend..."
"Yeah...And you're mine, too," Marco said, smiling. He giggled and grasped Jean's hand. "Thank you, Jean!"
Jean felt his face grow hotter at Marco's touch. And...was his heart thumping, too?
This wasn't just friendship anymore, was it?